“Snooker” Billiards the Latest

The Bridgeport evening farmer (Bridgeport, Conn.), 07 April 1915

“Hi say, ol’ chap, ‘ave you ‘ad a fling at snooker billiards?”

If you haven’t you simply don’t belong, for snooker is the newest thing in St. Louis, an importation fresh from the war zone and open to Germans and Turks as well as the allies.

To explain what this game is like Isn’t easy.

In the first place, the game is played on a 6 by 12 table with twenty-one balls besides the cue ball. Fifteen of these balls are red, while there is one each of pink, blue, brown, yellow, green

and black tints. On the break, you must not hit the apex ball, but must bank with English – it’s all a question of English – and ram the rack from the rear. Then the gag is to pocket, a red, then a color, alternating until the fifteen red balls are put down. Each of the other colors are replaced until such time as the table is cleared of red ones. Then the colored balls are run off in order, they counting 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 points apiece.

With the aid of a book of rules and a good tutor one should get a working knowledge of the game in a month or so, provided he applies himself. After that the game, is very interesting. The table, though, is so big that a twelve foot bridge must be used, requiring the assistance of an attendant who totes around the totem pole.

The table and the new game Is attracting a great deal of attention in St. Louis. Because the table takes up the space ordinarily occupied by two American tables, of 75 cents an hour is charged. Snooker billiards usually is played as a foursome, an extra player being almost necessary to keep account of the enemy’s fouls, which are called, “snookers”. Combination shots are barred, while there are numberless other rules which one cannot “get” the first time out.